Fountain-comb.



PATENTED AUG. 29, 1905.

P. L. FROST.

FOUNTAIN COMB. APPLIOATION FILED JULY 29,1903.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER L. FROST, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FOUNTAIN-COMB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 1905.

Application filed July 29, 1903. Serial ITO-167,517.

It is often customary when applying liquids to the scalp or the roots ofthe hair to pour the same on the head and work it by more or lessVigorous rubbing with the fingers through the hair to the scalp. Thisoperationgenerally results in considerable loss of the liquid and a moreor less defective application of the same to the scalp and skin.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, effective, andeconomically constructed comb-like device, which can be connected with asuitable receptacle or reservoir and easily and conveniently manipulatedto apply liquid of a medicinal or other character direct to the scalp orthe roots of the hair without saturating the hair to such an extent asto result in a large expenditure of the liquid without deriving acorresponding benefit therefrom.

A further object of my invention is to so construct the same that it canbe used in connection with a bottle and the ingress of air to the bottlewhile in use absolutely controlled by means that automatically operateto permit the ingress of air when it is in a standing position andprevents the ingress of air thereto when in a horizontal position,except as air is forced into the bottle to regulate the flow from thesame by the operator.

A still further object is to prevent the filling and clogging up of theapertures of the teeth of the comb, while at the same time preventingsaid liquid escaping too rapidly therefrom. This I accomplish by themeans here: inafter fully described, and as particularly pointed out inthe claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a suitable bottle, showingmy invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section ofthe upper portion of the bottle, having my improvements applied theretowhile in a vertical position, showing the position of the valve forcontrolling the ingress of air. Fig. 3 is a similar v1ew showing thesame 1n horlzontal position. Fig. 4 1s a detail view showing a sectionof the flexible tubular weighted air-inlet, drawn to an enlarged scale.

Fig. 5 is a detail view showing a section of a portion of the comb andseveral of the teeth thereof, drawn to an enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawings, A is a suitable bottle, which I prefer to beof such shape that one side thereof may be flattened, substantiallyasshown. This feature, while not absolutely necessary, greatlyfacilitates the flow of liquid from the bottle to and through thedistributing member of my invention, as

will hereinafter more'fully appear. The mouth of the bottle is closed bya suitable cork or plug B, of rubber or other material,

that has a longitudinal opening therethrouhg near one side, which whenthe plug is inserted in the bottle is placed nearest the fiat side ofthe bottle. Inserted through this longitudinal opening in said cork isthe shank or extension a of the tubular back of a fountain-comb C, theouter end of which is closed and has between the plug and its outer enda series of corresponding parallel hollow teeth projecting laterallytherefrom in the direction of the flattened side of the bottle. When thebottle contains suflicient liquid and is placed in a horizontalposition, the liquid will flow into said hollow back and out through theteeth 0, provided sufficient air can enter the bottle. Ordinarily theflow of the liquid from the teeth of" the comb would be too great unlesssome means were employed to restrain it. This is because it would costtoo much to bore each tooth separately and because of the impossibilityof getting the tubes of sufficiently small bore that would answer thepurpose. I overcome this difficulty by inserting longitudinally into thebore of each of the teeth a wire plunger (Z, which is bent slightlymediate its ends, so asto prevent its becoming involuntarily dislodgedwhen in operation. These plungers are of such length that when insertedas far as they will go into the teeth the outer ends thereof extendslightly beyond the months or openings in the points thereof and thus,besides reducing the capacity of the bore of the teeth to such extentthat the free and uninterrupted flow of the liquid therethrough isobstructed, prevent the discharge-openings of the teeth from becomingclogged.

It is obvious that unless some means were provided for permitting theingress of air into the bottle the liquid would soon cease to flowtherefrom out through the comb. I

have therefore provided a U-shaped siphon I), one arm 6 of which extendslongitudinally through the plug into the neck of the bottle and theother outside the neck thereof back to or near to the shoulder of thesame, where its extremity is preferably provided with a suitablecompressible rubber bulb E, that has an opening f in the side thereoffarthest from the side of the bottle for the ingress of air. When thebottle is grasped in the hand, the thumb is placed over the bulb in suchmanner that when the bulb is compressed it closes opening 7" and thusforces the air inside the bulb through the siphon into the bottle. Theextremity of the arm e of the siphon inside the bottle is provided witha short tubular extension G, of rubber or equivalent material, and justbeyond the extremity of said arm this extension is provided on the sidethereof corresponding to the side of the back of the comb from which theteeth project with a transverse slit 9. Inserted into the lower end ofthe extension Gris the shank h of a weight H, which is preferablyspherical. The shank h projects, preferably, tangentially from one sideof the weight, so that. when the bottle is in a vertical position thedisposition of. the weight causes the lower flexible portion of theextension G to incline slightly to one side and opens the slit 9, sothat air can freely circulate therethrough. When, iowever, the bottle ismoved to a horizontal position, the gravity of the weight moves theflexible portion of the extension G, so that the lower part thereofalines with the adjacent end of arm 6 of the siphon, and thus closes theslit. When, therefore, the bottle is in a horizontal position, theoutside air can get into the bottle only when pumped through the siphonby the action of the thumb upon the bulb, as hereinbefore explained.

What I claim, as new is 1. A fountain-comb comprising a hollow back oneend of which is extended to form a shank therefor and hollow teethprojecting from said back and providedwith perforations,

in combination with a suitable receptacle, a cork or plug thereforthrough which the shank of said comb extends, an automatic air-siphonone arm of which extends through said plug, and controlled by agravity-valve and a collapsiblebulb on the outer end thereof.

2. A fountain-comb comprising a hollow back one end of which is extendedto form a shank therefor, and hollow teeth projecting from said back andprovided with perforations, in combination with a suitable receptacle, acork or plug therefor through which the shank of said comb extends, anair-siphon, one arm of which extends through said plug, a collapsiblebulb on the outer end thereof, and a weighted flexible tubular extensionon the extremity of the siphon within said receptacle which is providedwith atransverse slit therein between the end of said siphon and saidweight.

3. A fountain-comb comprising a hollow back one end of which is extendedto form a shank therefor, and hollow teeth projecting from said back andprovided with dischargeopenings in their extremities, in combinationwith bowed plungers consisting of a wire of slightly less diameter thanthe bore ofsaid teeth into each of which one is inserted longitudinally.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand this 17th day of July, 1903.

PETER L. FROST.

Witnesses:

LOUIS F. MUELLER, E. K. LUNDY.

